Category: Marni Zelnick
Lawrence Receives $700,000
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2002–Lawrence and Lowell will each receive $700,000 in federal grants to train at-risk youths in construction trades. The grants are part of HUD’s Youthbuild Program, which aims to provide high school dropouts with a chance to learn job skills and earn their high school equivalency diplomas, while helping to increase the availability of affordable homes.
At the Lawrence Family Development & Education Fund Inc., news of the grant, which Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Mel Martinez announced on Tuesday brought a sigh of relief. The organization had learned in July that Massachusetts had sliced $211,000 from its budget for the Youthbuild program at the last minute.
“We were looking at next October as a difficult time if we couldn’t find other funding,” program director Andrew Mente said. “The HUD grant will ensure that the program operates for the next two years.”
During that time, 48 participants will build three houses in Lawrence. The program takes 24 students a year and divides them into two groups. The groups then alternate weekly between the construction site and the classroom.
“What’s the nicest part is seeing these kids leave the program and get jobs paying them $1,000 a week,” said carpenter Peter Kinney, who has been working with Youthbuild in Lawrence for the last three years. “When we got them off the street corner, they didn’t know what $10 was.”
Mente estimates that 60 percent of those who start the program earn their high school equivalency diplomas and that 80 percent are able to secure a full-time job upon graduation. “This is about young people making a commitment to make a change in their life, and the program promotes these kinds of changes as well as helping them develop as leaders and take responsibility for themselves and their community,” Mente said.
According to Mente, the majority of this year’s applicants found out about the program through word of mouth. “The alumni connection has become very important to the program going forward,” he said. Kinney, for example, remains a friend and mentor to many of those he has supervised. “I had a couple working at my house last weekend,” he said. “I never know when my phone’s going to ring or when I’ll get a knock on the door.”
The program also increases the supply of affordable housing for low-income families in the area. Construction on the first house authorized under this week’s grant will begin in November at 21 Bromfield Street, a vacant lot that the city has donated to the Lawrence Family Development & Education Fund. Upon completion, it will be sold to low-income families
“I was amazed when I saw how it worked,” Kinney said. “I couldn’t picture something so good happening to these kids who really never had a shot.”
In Lowell, the grant will be administered by Community Teamwork Inc. Two houses are scheduled for construction, and 48 participants will receive both classroom and vocational training.
Massachusetts received almost $4 million in Youthbuild grants from HUD this year. Only California, Illinois and New York received larger amounts.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Meehan Votes in Favor of Resolution Authorizing Force
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2002--After days of tense debate, the House voted 296-133 on Thursday in favor of a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. On opposite sides of the tally were Rep. Martin T. Meehan, D-Lawrence, who voted in favor of the resolution, and Rep. John F. Tierney, D-Salem, who voted against it.
"This has been one of the toughest decisions I've had to make as a congressman," Meehan said in an interview. "I am genuinely conflicted."
The congressman preferred a more restrictive version of the resolution, offered by Rep. John M. Spratt Jr., D-S.C., which would have authorized the president to use force against Iraq should the United Nations impose sanctions on that country, but which would have required a fresh vote from Congress in the event that the president wished to act unilaterally.
"I felt that the Spratt amendment was the best alternative," Meehan said. Tierney also favored Spratt's alternative, but the amendment was defeated, 155-270. At that point, Meehan said, he felt it was more important to achieve consensus than to squabble about wording.
"America needs to send a united message to the Security Council and to Saddam Hussein," Meehan said. "A world without an effective United Nations would become a dangerous place."
Though the resolution as passed stresses the importance of pursuing a diplomatic solution to the Iraq problem, it authorizes the president to use unilateral force provided he informs Congress within 48 hours. While Meehan seemed confident the administration would not use this power to bypass diplomatic options, Tierney was unwilling to cut Congress out of the process.
"The decision of whether to send our brave men and women in uniform to war is the most serious choice we face as Members of Congress," Tierney said in a statement on Thursday. "Before putting our young people in harm's way, we must be certain there is no other recourse."
Meehan cited the administration's willingness in recent weeks to respond to criticism from congressional leaders as a factor influencing his decision. "Early on, the administration indicated that it didn't need to go to Congress and that it was ready to pursue a unilateral approach. The administration practically ignored the UN. Now there's a working strategy with the Security Council," Meehan said. "I take the president at his word."
Still, he was displeased, he said, that Congress chose to vote this week. "Having a resolution like this three weeks before an election…" Meehan said, "partisanship has been injected into the debate."
The Senate was expected to vote on a similar resolution late Thursday or Friday.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Kerry, Meehan Take Iraq Stance
By Randy Trick and Marni Zelnick
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2002--Two members of the Massachusetts delegation came off the fence Wednesday, announcing where they stand on authorizing the use of force against Iraq.
Sen. John Kerry said he will vote "yes" on a resolution authorizing President Bush to use force against Iraq, while Rep. Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell, favors pursuing a multilateral approach through the United Nations.
Kerry's statement came after weeks of cautious enthusiasm for the administration's efforts to embrace the international community.
"In giving the president this authority, I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days," Kerry said on the Senate floor, "to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out 'tough, immediate' inspections requirements and to 'act with our allies at our side' if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force."
Kerry reiterated his opposition to the United States' engaging Iraq over issues other than disarmament. He stated unequivocally that he did not consider reasons put forth by the administration such as the return of Gulf War prisoners, the desire for regime change or Saddam Hussein's treatment of the Iraqi people to be justifiable grounds for war.
"Let me be clear," Kerry said, "I am voting to give this authority to the president for one reason and one reason alone: to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction if we cannot accomplish that objective through new tough weapons inspections."
Meehan said he plans to vote for a proposal authorizing force against Iraq only if a resolution from the United Nations Security Council is obtained and weapons inspections fail.
That proposal is in the form of an amendment that Rep. John Spratt, a Democrat from South Carolina, has offered.
"The amendment allows all members of Congress to register their support for a multilateral approach. That's the way to go," Meehan said in an interview.
According to Meehan, if the Security Council does not approve force, or if weapons inspections fail, the landscape of the conflict will change and will need to be reexamined.
The amendment Meehan plans to vote for will have Congress vote later on a new resolution authorizing unilateral force, should it be needed. It would also allow the new resolution to be dealt with rapidly.
Meehan hesitated to say, however, how he would vote on the Bush-endorsed resolution if the Spratt amendment fails.
From the neighboring district, Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, took an unequivocal stance against authorizing another Iraqi war.
"The administration says that Hussein is bad, and no one disagrees," Tierney said on the House floor Wednesday. "Nor do we disagree with the notion that the U.N. resolutions must be enforced by U.N. Security Council action. The administration, though, asserts that the U.S. must act peremptorily and right now because Iraq is an imminent threat. But the truth be told, it has not met the burden of truth to that claim."
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was also on the Senate floor Wednesday, reaffirming his resolve to vote against a resolution. In a statement released earlier this week, Kennedy characterized any action by Congress as premature, arguing that the potential costs of a war with Iraq have yet to be adequately outlined for the American people.
"The American people deserve to know what a conflict in Iraq might be like," Kennedy said. "They deserve to know how many casualties there might be. They deserve to know the true preparedness of our troops to fight in a chemical or biological environment…. They deserve to know how a conflict with Iraq will affect them and whether they are likely to be called up for duty."
Both Massachusetts senators called on the administration to provide a more detailed plan for the reconstruction of post-conflict Iraq. Kerry criticized the administration for giving "more lip service than resources" to the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Kennedy Hears Testimony on INS Detentions
WASHINGTON, Oct. 01, 2002--Witnesses testifying Tuesday before Sen. Edward Kennedy's Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration called for the repeal of an Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) directive that has left hundreds of Haitian asylum seekers detained indefinitely in U.S. prisons.
The directive, which mandates that regional INS officials may parole no Haitian from detention without explicit approval from Washington, was issued last December. The Justice Department, which oversees the INS, said last week that the directive would avoid "a potential mass migration [from Haiti] to the United States." The order was issued on the heels of an incident in which a refugee boat carrying 187 Haitians ran aground off the coast of Florida. The Coast Guard rescued 167 persons from the wreck, though as of last week only 16 of those rescued had been granted asylum by the United States.
As of Sept. 25 - -10 months after their rescue- - approximately 112 of the 167 originally detained were still being held at INS facilities in Miami and in Berks County, Pa.
At the hearing, Kennedy, D-Mass., called the treatment of Haitian asylum seekers by the U.S. government "absolutely despicable." His comment followed testimony by Marie Jocelyn Ocean, a former INS detainee from Haiti, one of the 16 refugees granted asylum here. She described being rescued by the Coast Guard last December only to be confined in a Miami hotel room for over two months with four other women and a seven-year-old girl.
"No one could come to see us there, and we felt terribly isolated and alone, also because we could not communicate with most of the guards because they did not speak Creole," Ocean said in her prepared testimony. "In all that time I was only able to breathe fresh air on four days…. Sometimes I felt as though I was suffocating, and my heart would begin to race because we were locked in that small space together for so long."
"No one should have to undergo that kind of treatment here in the United States," said Kennedy, who questioned both the nature of the directive, which singles out Haitians among asylum seekers, and its possible violation of international refugee standards.
"Most of the Haitians in question have demonstrated a credible fear of persecution, have family or community contacts willing to sponsor them, do not pose a flight risk and would not pose a danger to the community," Kennedy said. "These factors would normally have resulted in grants of parole from detention, and are the same factors currently used to parole other nationals from detention."
Supporting Kennedy's position was testimony given by Stephen C. Johnson, policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, and Dina Paul Parks, executive director of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights. Both Johnson and Parks described the situation in Haiti as violent and chaotic, characterized by vigilante justice and police brutality. They also said that harassment by groups supporting the governing Lavalas party was common. Ocean recalled the death of her father and brother at the hands of Lavalas members.
Kennedy expressed his disappointment that the Justice Department declined to send a representative to participate in the hearing to shed light on such a controversial policy.
"These are serious cases. These are serious problems," Kennedy said. "We're going to try to keep after this until we get something done. At least I am."
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Kennedy Introduces Cancer Legislation
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2002--Three-time Tour De France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong joined Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) yesterday to introduce a bill that would increase federal spending on cancer care.
The legislation is an effort to streamline communication between federal, state and local care providers so they can monitor the quality and uniformity of patient treatment more closely.
"Too often, we cannot say that American cancer patients are receiving the best possible care," Kennedy, whose son, Edward Jr., is a cancer survivor, said at a Capitol Hill press conference. "Our goal is to match the nation's excellence in cancer research with state-of-the-art excellence in cancer care."
To that end, The Quality Of Care For Individuals With Cancer Act would provide funds for expansion of cancer registries, development of comprehensive data systems and implementation of case-manager programs, which would provide patients with counselors to act as guides throughout their treatment. Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is also a sponsor.
Armstrong, who began battling testicular cancer in 1996, stressed the importance of empowering patients to make informed decisions about their own medical treatment. "We hope that they know that they're the boss--that they can dictate their treatment, they can manage their lives, they can manage their care, they can make decisions based on what's good for them and move into the latter part of life and be a cancer survivor," Armstrong said.
Included in the bill are a number of programs designed to address the specific needs of cancer survivors and their families. "Many Americans think once the c-word is mentioned your fate is sealed," said Senator Joseph Biden Jr. (D-Del.), a co-sponsor of the measure, who said his home state has the nation's highest cancer mortality rate among women. "Lance Armstrong is a walking, riding, speaking monument to the fact that there is efficacy in us asking you, the American people, not only for your support, but for the tax dollars, for your commitment to working on the plight of and the opportunities that are there for the survivors."
The senators spoke confidently of the bill's is prospects. "I'm convinced that we will get this passed and that it will make a difference," Kennedy said.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Kerry Encouraged by U.N. Address
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2002--Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) Thursday commended President Bush's U.N. address as an important first step toward rehabilitating the administration's campaign for action against Iraq.
"I thought the president gave a strong speech, an important speech, and certainly clearly articulated the egregious behavior of Saddam Hussein over the course of the past year," Kerry said at a press conference.
At the same time, he expressed frustration that the administration had delayed so long in taking its case to the international community, saying that "each and every point that was named today could have been named at the beginning of this administration, or any month into this administration."
Kerry noted that going to the United Nations was a step he and other prominent Washington figures had been advocating for months. Joining Kerry on this front have been former Secretary of State James Baker III, former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft and fellow Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)
As the international community begins considering its own response to the president's address, Kerry called for both Congress and the president to exercise prudence when considering further action in the weeks to come.
The senator was firm in his reluctance to pursue a congressional resolution backing the use of force too quickly. "I think you need to give this United Nations process a legitimate opportunity," he warned, "because we don't want to see this initiative turned into a charade."
Kerry also was resolute in insisting that all possible alternatives to a full-scale invasion of Iraq be pursued before the nation commits itself to such a potentially massive undertaking. If you're going to go to war, he cautioned, "do it because you have to, not because you want to."
Overall, however, the senator spoke favorably of Bush's address. "The embracing of the international community by this administration, finally, I think is important for our country and can only result in the strengthening of our capacity to provide for the national security needs of our nation," Kerry said.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
